Intentional Leadership: What Type of Leader Are You?

 What is leadership style? How do we lead with intentionality? Leading with intentionality is a common practice, yet sometimes not so common when faced with tough challenges and left trying to catch our breath. Due to COVID-19 school closures, educators have faced challenges they have not dealt with before. The process to ensure that the actions taken to preserve quality education and supportive services are critical. School leaders are working to balance what is already known and learning as they forge ahead. We must be precise in decision-making or leave outcomes to blow in the wind. A great urgency exists: the need to get it right. Students' futures are at stake. Their socio-emotional well-being and academic fortitude are in our hands. True enough, our heart is in it, and we are dedicated, so it is second nature to intentionally tackle the moment to shape the future of students' learning process. Educators do not want to lose this opportunity. It is also an exciting time to be intentional. What is our intentional focus? We are determined to correctly "educate" during COVID-19 to understand better. We want to be sure that we are deliberate, purposeful, and impactful. Indeed, the work of education is purposefully urgent today. There is an urgency because fortuitous opportunities can sneak in. Happen-stance situations that turn out to be sustained practices that cannot withstand certainty are all too common when intentionality is not at work. The only opportunity for fortuitous practices lies in the untruth that success in actions set forth on a solid foundation.

On the other hand, solid foundational practices that stem from organic truths lead to success. Intentional truths are reflected upon regularly. They shift to bring in more organic truths and eliminate fortuitous opportunities. Before COVID-19 school closures, purpose-driven work with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) and its collaborative process around data-driven practices are examples of what putting minds together could do for student achievement. The planning of an act for school success is the start of the pathway towards carrying out the process and, eventually, finalization. In an educational setting, collaboration and PLC's work involves using tools to carry out that process. A professional learning community depends on one another to keep the system moving deliberately, the leader helping the process along—the purposefulness of what needs to occur due to school closures and reopening all rings out intentionality.

 "In philosophy, intentionality is the power of minds and mental states to be about, represent, or stand for things, properties, and states of affairs." Bourget, D., & Mendelovici, A. (2019, January 29). Some may argue that in the beginning stages of distance learning, in conjunction with the rush to maintain systems and retain attendance, traditional practices were not as intentional as before as we educated students. How could they be? We were all figuring things out. Scientists would call that experimentation. Education involves experimentation and exploration. Yes, in the middle of a pandemic. Keeping a positive mindset, the best part of figuring things out is using our expertise. Set a base as a foundation, use resources, and build. Intentionality is at work. The question is: Who is leading the way? School closures have provided an opportunity for intentional reflection of educational practices but have done something else for school leaders. Charged with decision-making and executing plans, school leaders have had to navigate uncharted territory. There has been new learning, yet with a sound foundation of leadership practice; leaders have managed to communicate an essential focus, supply the needs, and execute and monitor. Somewhere in the misty fog of implementation, there had to be a pause of reflection. Questions are ringing with "how," "why," and "what if…" If not for connections with people and practices in place, the system could not run. Organizational leadership requires certain traits, whether at the site or district level.

Chaudhry and Javed (2012) assert that leadership is essential because goals are only obtained with it. (p.258). For an organization to produce successful outcomes, there must be influential leaders. According to Pechota and Scott (2020), "School Leadership is a key component to successful environments and academic performance strategies" (p.1). For an organizational leader to step to the forefront and lead the way, intentionally defining leadership's unique role is vital. For instance, at site leadership, the actions of a principal impact the school climate. (Pechota & Scott, 2020, p.2).

How does a leader change as changes occur? What does a leader do if taken on a new leadership role? Intentionality and reflection tell a responsible leader to regroup and ask oneself, "What is my leadership style?" This question, typically, is not a novel concept to answer for the typical educational leader. However, reflection on the selected leadership style can be a forgotten practice if one is not mindful of doing so. One may carry the label around in new situations that do not call for the style of leadership that the leader has deemed themselves to be. Let us intentionally review leadership styles with a scope of focus that drives a shift to a different level of practice. It is important to note that there is a caveat here. There are several leadership styles that one can model after, but we will explore some common ones: Laissez-Faire Leadership, Transformational Leadership, and Servant Leadership.

Laissez-Faire Leadership

Northouse (2004) explains, "The laissez-faire leader takes the "hands-off-let things-ride" approach. This attitude abdicates responsibility, delays decisions, gives no feedback, and requires more effort to help followers satisfy their needs. There is no exchange with followers or attempt to help them grow." (p. 179)

What is the motivation behind laissez-faire leadership? Only the leader knows. Sometimes, there needs to be more motivation. Where there is motivation, however, for the "hands-off" approach, reasons can be personal experiences or can be masked under the rationale that Kolb's (1984) "Experiential Learning" is in play. Just as a teacher plans a lesson incorporating the "learn by doing" process, there is a hands-on approach and engagement. Foundation work is by design. Crafted so that, upon release, students will transfer knowledge through experiential learning while the teacher is the facilitator. One may question the intentional "hands-off" approach to allow for members of an organization to grow innately without proper foundational support for such an argument. By transferring the same support model to leadership and school culture and climate, the laissez-faire leader can only benefit to a particular stage or degree. Notably, the leader would have to assess the temperature of the culture before exploring the idea of releasing without direction and support, if at all. The laissez-faire leader would need to determine whether to, and to what degree, to be hands-on or remain "hands-off." After all, "hands-off" is not leadership. Laissez-Faire becomes a risk. The leader becomes more reactive to what comes up rather than proactive and forward-thinking to bring about change in a growth model.  

 Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is a "hands-on" approach to leadership with an investment in the organization. This type of leadership includes the leader and its members. This type of leadership is not to be mistaken for the characteristics of transactional leadership, where short-term change or status quo is maintained, as transformational leadership is designed to move an organization forward. The leader's top priority, as the staff is included in the process of actions, whether it is culture and climate, instruction, or both, is tied to being a change agent. Fullan (2014) affirms that ". . . members appreciate it when leaders "take charge" expressing and acting on a sense of urgency" (p. 133). A transformational leader recognizes the potential skills of an employee and engages the complete person and not just particular traits (Allen et al., 2015, p.3). From the start, a transformational leader takes stock of the need, resources, and possible outcomes to implement deliberate, bold, collaborative decisions well. Menon (2016) asserts,  ". . . the leader is prepared to take risks in order to encourage change and innovation. Moreover, leaders support and motivate followers so that the latter exceed their original goals and create an organizational climate that respects individual needs and differences. Through a culture of collaboration, leaders and followers focus on the common good and accomplishing the organization's goals." (p. 12)

Leadership is not a one-person entity. The goal is to build the organization. It is ever-changing, depending on the task. The key for the transformational leader is to know the skill set that each person in the organization has and respectfully value people by including them in the process of change while growing the organization. A recommendation to incorporate a transformational leadership style into practice is to conduct teacher/staff surveys frequently. Gain feedback for instruction, behavior, and any burning topics that need attention within the organization. The survey feedback becomes either a starting point or a catalyst for continued collaboration and action. A further recommendation is to allow data to drive the collaborative discussion process. In doing so, action plans can be developed, implemented, monitored, and reviewed for improvement on a cycle of gradual change over time.

Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is an interaction, an investment, in the organization's people. The servant-leader stands from the position of ethics of self and others. The servant-leader serves and sets an example for others to follow. Like transformational leadership, employees are supported as they work together on a shared vision. There needs to be more authority in servant leadership. Saglam & Alpaydin (2017) states that "…it is a leader that serves to contribute to the development and interest of others in order to accomplish the tasks and objectives comprising the primary purpose of the organization." (p. 106-107)

A servant leader's goal is to build a caring environment first so that, once accomplished, the collaborative environment evolves. The servant-leader expresses characteristics of one who listens, does for others, and shows empathy. The focus is on the followers in the organization. The idea of servant leadership is that the organization will be better if the leader intentionally and genuinely provides acts of service. In turn, possibly making an impact in such a way that the organization's followers will begin to include themselves in acts of service for the betterment of the organization. For instance, improved data outcomes for behavior exemplify a positive cultural shift in school culture and climate. In a professional learning community, collaborative conversations with the school leader supporting the process and being the role model for expectations may have had an impact that brought about the need for acts of empathy and patience for self and others. A servant leader recognizes the need for a safe environment for such crucial conversations and vulnerability. Members of the organization need time to build trust, explore ideas through practice, and learn from each other. Careful attention is paid to not providing so much service that persons in the organizations do not grow professionally as one towards the same mission but depend on the servant leader to do the heavy lifting, which leads to burning out. Fields (2018) asserts that servant leadership "...if managed effectively, can lead to new knowledge and experiences that help supervisors and their staff to grow and develop professionally. (p.112) A recommendation for a servant leader is to be a top-tier role model of support in listening, doing, and showing care. As the top tier of support, the servant leader:

1. facilitator of the vision, mission, and goals
2. recognizes the importance of others; builds relationships; empowers others
3. Replaces selfishness with selflessness

(Brumley, 2012, p. 21)

Conclusion

Leadership style has been defined in many ways. That is not by mistake. One's leadership style can be a personal choice or an evolution of practice, depending on the need. There are many more leadership styles than what has been covered. Many have been put into practice in various educational settings. The styles outlined above may even resonate with you. Think about your very own leadership style. Your practice aligns with some of the common styles outlined. You could also find that your practice is a mix or none. In reality, leaders face many daily challenges in leading intentionally. Notably, in these ever-changing times, school leaders are using foundation knowledge of leadership, leaning on each other for support, serving others, and exercising reflective practices to maintain what was and drive the possible outcomes in a new direction of what will be post-pandemic. It is essential to remain grounded in your belief in who you are as a strong leader and consistently engage in reflection.

Leadership Journal:

What are my goals?

Do they align with the school's goals?

Do they align with the school's mission statement?

Do my goals align with the school's (organization) climate?

How can my leadership style connect with the organization's goals to meet success?

If your leadership style does not connect, you must adjust. What new leadership style should I explore and put into practice to succeed? Will this new leadership style help the organization succeed? What tools will I need to transition my leadership style?

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